Known Associates

Doug Domenech

In August 2017, Doug Domenech was approved by the Senate in his presidential appointment as the Assistant Secretary of Insular Affairs of the Department of the Interior.

Prior to his appointment, Mr. Domenech was the Director of the Fueling Freedom Project for The Texas Public Policy Foundation, since 2015.

Mr. Domenech started out his career in 1982 with Forest Resources Association – a group that is comprised of over 500 businesses and organizations in forest products industry.

They describe their advocacy as “pro-forestry products policies that create jobs, sustain forest resources, and meet the needs of the wood fiber supply chain through private enterprise”. After 11 years, he ended his time at the Forest Resources Association as the Director of Forestry Programs.

He left the industry for five years to focus on the issue of home schooling with a position as the Executive Director of the National Center for Home Education, before jumping into governmental positions with the Department of the Interior.

From 2001 to 2009, Mr. Domenech worked in the Department of the Interior. His job titles ranged from Deputy Director of External and Intergovernmental Affairs to White House Liaison, to Deputy Chief of Staff to Deputy Assistant Secretary Insular Affairs. The last of which is a position he has just been re-appointed to by the Senate.

In 2009, Mr. Domenech left government and began working as the Senior Vice President at Artemis Strategies, a lobbying firm.

The following year he re-entered government as the Secretary of Natural Resources for the Commonwealth of Virginia. He held this position until for 4 years before he transitioned out of government and into his position as the Director of the Fueling Freedom Project for The Texas Public Policy Foundation.

“Speaking truth to power, these experts had a common message in response to the age-old questions: Is climate change real? Yes, it has happened in the past and will happen in the future. Is man making an impact on the climate? Perhaps but in very small ways. But the overarching consensus remains the climate change we are experiencing is by no means catastrophic.” – Doug Domenech

“There is no disputing that EPA’s plan to reduce carbon dioxide from the power sector is all-pain for no gain,” said Domenech. “The high cost imposed on poor and middle class families in return for little or no climate benefit are unacceptable. Low cost, affordable energy is the way to create jobs and prosperity.”

“The Secretary of Interior’s announcement of a comprehensive review of coal production on federal lands is a barely masked step to justify yet another lawless federal action to eliminate the production and consumption of coal – a vital natural resource that still acts as the reliable workhorse of electric generation,” said White. “Adding ‘climate’ to the environmental impacts assessed under the National Environmental Policy Act should not give the federal government limitless jurisdiction to control our economy and personal lives.” – Doug Domenech

“Speaking truth to power, these experts had a common message in response to the age-old questions: Is climate change real? Yes, it has happened in the past and will happen in the future. Is man making an impact on the climate? Perhaps but in very small ways. But the overarching consensus remains the climate change we are experiencing is by no means catastrophic.” - Doug Domenech

Evidence:

Outright Climate Change Denial at the Fueling Freedom Project for The Texas Public Policy Foundation

The Freedom Project’s stated mission is to "explain the forgotten moral case for fossil fuels" while “building a multi-state coalition to push back against the EPA's unconstitutional efforts to take over the electric power sector by regulating CO2 via the Clean Power Plan.”

Doug Domenech lead the Fueling Freedom Project which did the following actions:

Doug Domenech has published multiple blog posts arguing against climate change consensus and the Clean Power Plan (CPP)

On December 13th, 2016, The Texas Public Policy Foundation co-hosted the event, “At the Crossroads: Energy and Climate Summit”. In attendance were U.S. Congressional leaders, think tank scholars, industry leaders, climate scientists including Dr. Willie Soon. The event was summed up in by Dr. Richard Lindzen, who stated, “the only meaningful question would be whether we are seeing anything sufficiently unusual to warrant concern and the answer to this is unambiguously no.”

The Fueling Freedom Project supported the publishing and promotion of the book Fueling Freedom: Exposing the Mad War on Energy by Kathleen Hartnett White and Stephen Moore. - Kathleen Hartnett-White a director of the Fueling Freedom Project

The book promotes positions that are removed from science such as “No matter how many times, the President, EPA and the media rant about “dirty carbon pollution,” there is no pollution about carbon itself! As a dictionary will tell you, carbon is the chemical basis of all life. Our flesh, blood and bones are built of carbon. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the gas of life on this planet, an essential nutrient for plant growth on which human life depends. How craftily our government has masked these fundamental realities and the environmental benefits of fossil fuels!” –Kathleen Hartnett White in Townhall

Money Buy’s access to The Texas Public Policy Foundation

The Texas Public Policy Foundation explicitly advertises access to its President, Executive Director, and board members in exchange for a donation.

Oil and Gas Funding

In an article published by the Texas Observer, it was revealed that Texas Public Policy Foundation was funded by Koch Brothers, Exxon and Big Tobacco.

The Koch Industries are a "Liberty Leader" funder of TPPF, and recieve the following benifits: Invitation to join President or Executive Director at personal one-on-one meeting to discuss Foundation’s focus and strategy and priority communication with the President and Chairman of the Board; Invitations to dinners with VIPs and Board members.

XU Energy and Oncor ($110,000)

​​​​​​Another Liberty Leader funder, entitled to an invitation to join President or Executive Director at personal one-on-one meeting to discuss Foundation’s focus and strategy; Priority communication with the President and Chairman of the Board; Invitations to dinners with VIPs and Board members.

The Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation ($69,788)

A "Founders Circle" funder with the following perks: Priority communication with the President and Chairman of the Board; Invitations to dinners with VIPs and Board members

DonorsTrust ($65,300)

A Founders Circle funder: Priority communication with the President and Chairman of the Board​​​​​​​; Invitations to dinners with VIPs and Board members

Associated Electric Companies of Texas ($43,000)

​​​​​​​Founders Circle; Priority communication with the President and Chairman of the Board​​​​​​​; Invitations to dinners with VIPs and Board members.

Tim Dunn, Crownquest Oil & Gas Inc. ($43,000)

​​​​​​​Founders Circle; Priority communication with the President and Chairman of the Board​​​​​​​; Invitations to dinners with VIPs and Board members.

Direct Energy ($20,000)

​​​​​​​1876 Society funder with the following perk: Invitations to dinners with VIPs and Board members

NRG Energy ($10,000)​​​​​​​

1876 Society: Invitations to dinners with VIPs and Board members

AEP Texas ($10,000)

​​​​​​​1876 Society: Invitations to dinners with VIPs and Board members

AEP SWEPCO ($10,000)

​​​​​​​1876 Society: Invitations to dinners with VIPs and Board members; The American Coalition for Clean Coal ($10,000)​​​​​​​; 1876 Society; Invitations to dinners with VIPs and Board members

ExxonMobil ($10,000)​​​​​​​

1876 Society: Invitations to dinners with VIPs and Board members

Chevron ($5,000)

Boeing ($5,000)

Devon Energy ($5,000)

RJ Reynolds Tobacco ($5,000)

Lobbying with Artemis Strategies

In the year he worked at Artemis Strategies, Mr. Domenech had 16 diverse clients. One of his clients was the Public Service Group and Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G). PSE&G supplies energy for “1.8 million gas customers and 2.2 million electric customers in more than 300 urban, suburban and rural communities”, with the energy originating from 20.83% Coal, 22.30% Gas and 41.71% Nuclear for their 2.2 million electric customers.

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